Growing Calves

Seriously bro, it’s a squat rack, not a curling station. It’s time to focus more attention on other body parts. We are talking about those twigs that you call calves. They need some serious attention and we’ve got the answer. Your arms can use a break, but don’t worry we aren’t going to eliminate your “arms” day. God forbid we did something like that, right?

If you are wondering why I mentioned the squat rack above, you really need to keep reading. The exercise world did not always have a calf raise machine. People actually used to work their calves hard. They’d load up a barbell, step on a block, and hammer away. Nowadays, you’ll see some young buck hammering away on a calf machine with horrid form.

Misguided souls

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation out there that leaves people frustrated. The calves are either overworked, underworked, or not worked at all. The problem all leads to poor calf development. It is frustrating to see someone with mammoth calves and barely ever work them. How can this be? Genetics tends to play a huge role in calf development. However, genetics is not something we at AX allow to be a crutch for ANYONE.

You want growth?

It’s time to put those calves to work. We mean serious work. You can complete the calf workout once or twice per week, dependent on your calf development. The key is to make sure you allow a few days rest between your calf workouts. Also, if your calves need a bit of work, then opt for two times per week. If they only need some work, or you need a stellar workout, opt for this workout once per week.

Quick tips for growth:

Before we hit the workout, we need to point out a few things that are vital for calf growth.

1.Stretch – Yes, you should stretch after every workout. The stretch we are referring to is the stretch during each rep as your lower the weight. Allow the calf to stretch fully before using an explosive contraction to really squeeze the calf.
2.Full contraction – After the big stretch, be sure to get in a full squeeze. The key is to control the weight through all aspects of the lift.
3. Maintain tempo – Your calves take a beating from all vigorous activity. You need calf strength, and this is achieved by lifting weights, not ballistic movements. Control your speed through the lift. The calves do not need you bouncing weight up and down causing your achilles tendon to nearly tear off.

The Workout:

Barbell Calf Raises (with a block) – Use a barbell loaded with weight. Stand on a block that is around 4-6 inches high to perform your calf raises. Be sure to keep the ball of each foot on the block. You should not be supported by your toes.

Seated Calf Raises – This can be done on a seated calf raise machine or simply with weights and a chair. The machine is self-explanatory, but be sure to keep control! The other version requires a chair that allows you to sit upright with your knees and hips at 90 degrees. Use a wooden block and place it so you can maintain a 90 degree knee bend (i.e. you do not want it too close or too far away). Load weight plates or a heavy dumbbell (you can place a towel between your legs and the weights) onto your legs just before your knees. Perform the seated calf raise as you would on a machine.

Loaded Calf Stretch – I like to perform these with half of the weight used for the Barbell Calf Raises. Stand on the same 4-6 inch block and descend into the stretch. Instead of doing a normal calf raise, you will hold the bottom position for a deep calf stretch. Try to hold for 30-60 seconds.

Barbell Calf Raises
2 Sets
6-8 Reps

Seated Calf Raises
2 Sets
6-8 Reps

Loaded Calf Stretch
2 Sets
6-8 Reps

There you have it, the tips and workout for massive calves! Do not be fooled by simplicity. Your efforts will be rewarded greatly. Simply follow the tips and complete the workout and expect GROWTH! Calves require extreme focus and the patience to allow growth. People often lump calves in at the last minute of a workout and expect great results. This lack of focus and planning is the cause of failure. Follow the workout and be ready for some pain (those calf stretches are brutal).

Booo to this article. Calves are constantly getting worked as you move around all day and require more than a couple sets of 6-8 reps to get any growth. You have to kill those suckers if you aren't lucky enough to be born with them. Hit them at least a few times a week alternating between a heavy weight day and a high rep day. 5-6 sets of 4-6 on heavy days and 10-12 on high reps days.

Booo to this article. Calves are constantly getting worked as you move around all day and require more than a couple sets of 6-8 reps to get any growth. You have to kill those suckers if you aren't lucky enough to be born with them. Hit them at least a few times a week alternating between a heavy weight day and a high rep day. 5-6 sets of 4-6 on heavy days and 10-12 on high reps days.

Booo to this article. Calves are constantly getting worked as you move around all day and require more than a couple sets of 6-8 reps to get any growth. You have to kill those suckers if you aren't lucky enough to be born with them. Hit them at least a few times a week alternating between a heavy weight day and a high rep day. 5-6 sets of 4-6 on heavy days and 10-12 on high reps days.

No. I've seen more calf growth from one to 3 sets of 6-12 than any other rep scheme and work out. It depends on how YOUR body responds.

**** my calves grow just walking I train them maybe once a month and they stay around 24" which is good cause calf training kills my feet gotta love having plantar fasciitis collapsed arches and multiple stress fractures

Like any routine, people are going to respond differently, and I'm sure there are some people that may see something from this. In my 20+ years of heavy gym time, I haven't seen it, but I have no doubt it could be. My overwhelming experience is that it takes a lot to get a muscle that is constantly being worked to be shocked into growth. It's a tough ass muscle that supports all our body weight and movement, so it's used to getting heavy use. Again, some people are gifted with easy gains or naturally large calves, but look around the gym and that isn't many of us.

Do a simple Google search and for as subjective as our weight lifting sport/hobby/life is with workouts, calves are even more so. You'll find just about every theory on growth and development and it is likely all based on personal experience and not much else.

Booo to this article. Calves are constantly getting worked as you move around all day and require more than a couple sets of 6-8 reps to get any growth. You have to kill those suckers if you aren't lucky enough to be born with them. Hit them at least a few times a week alternating between a heavy weight day and a high rep day. 5-6 sets of 4-6 on heavy days and 10-12 on high reps days.

it all depends on the person. my focus (yes, I wrote this article) was on the general population. It's hard to cater to every different person without making an article too lengthy.

Gotta agree....That seems like a very light routine to develop calves. Is there evidence somewhere that this actually works?

6 sets for calves shouldn't be a "light" routine for your calves, especially if you are training heavy. If you are used to a lot of sets for each body part, this may seem light. It depends on your setup.